Shloka 20
न जहीौ पुत्रशोकार्ता जरिता खाण्डवे सुतान् । बभार चैतान् संजातान् स्ववृत्त्या स््नेहविप्लवा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: na jahau putraśokārtā Jaritā Khāṇḍave sutān | babhāra caitān saṃjātān svavṛttyā snehaviplavā ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「子を思う悲嘆に呑まれたジャリターは、カーンダヴァの森に息子たちを捨てなかった。母の情に揺さぶられ、彼女は自らの力でその生まれたばかりの子らを支え育て、決して見捨てられた者として扱おうとはしなかった。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical impulse aligned with dharma: the vulnerable—especially newborn children—are not to be discarded. Even amid grief and hardship, Jaritā’s steadfast care models responsibility and compassion, showing how parental duty can override abandonment.
In the Khāṇḍava forest episode, Jaritā, distressed for her offspring, refuses to leave her newborn sons behind. Overcome by affection, she continues to sustain and raise them through her own efforts.